The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Roseburg Police Department in cooperation with Umpqua Community College is pleased to announce that registration is open for their Citizens Police Academy class. The 11-week academy will be held on Thursday evenings from 6 PM to 9 PM beginning on April 5. There will also be three Saturday classes that will offer hands on training and demonstrations.

The Citizens Police Academy is designed to familiarize participants with various aspects of law enforcement, such as administrative philosophy, internal policies, and the guiding principles of law and ethical conduct governing the delivery of police services.

The curriculum covers the core elements that are essential for participants to gain a greater understanding of police operations. Students will be exposed to various aspects of law enforcement including the following:

The Citizens Police Academy is not being held to train citizens as law enforcement personnel or to exercise law enforcement authority of any kind, but rather to assist citizens in gaining an accurate understanding of police practices so that they can make informed judgments about their local law enforcement agencies. Simultaneously, the law enforcement agencies will be able to acquire a greater understanding of the views and concerns of the community through an enhanced relationship with the public.

The academy is free, but space is limited to 30 participants. Application finalists will be required to undergo a criminal history check. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 2, 2011.

Applications can be obtained online at www.dcso.com or www.cityofroseburg.org/police.

For more information contact: Andrea Zielinski at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, 541-440-4486 or Sgt. Aaron Dunbar at the Roseburg Police Department, 541-492-6760.